Executive Summary
Bird-in-Hand Corporation, a multi-location hospitality company based in the lovely countryside of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, had been searching for ways to boost online sales.
To help them improve their performance, they enlisted the support of Improve & Grow, and experienced significant year-on-year growth as a result. In fact, over a two-year period, their website traffic has increased by 30% while online booking revenue grew by 43%.
The Challenges
Bird-in-Hand Corporation was missing opportunities to increase market share due to low organic search visibility and increased competition from hospitality industry competitors and online travel agencies such as Expedia.
The company had recently redesigned its website and was looking for a local marketing agency to assist with digital marketing. While they were interested in promoting various aspects of their business offerings, increasing bookings for their lodging properties was the top priority. The budget allocation for digital marketing was small, so it was also important to work with a firm that could quickly demonstrate a return on investment and scale based on performance.
Bird-in-Hand Corporate heard about Improve & Grow from another local tourism business. Upon learning more about our track record, our experience with tourism marketing, and our unique results-based approach, they decided to partner with us to develop and execute their digital marketing strategy.
The Solution
Our first step was to develop a digital marketing strategy using a unique process we call a “Growth Road Map“. We researched the market, gathered competitive intelligence, and conducted a comprehensive audit of their current online presence. We utilized our findings to isolate the most important opportunities and developed an action plan and budget to capture them. We also provided detailed projections for website traffic and online sales to assess its future return on investment.
The next step was to make improvements to the Lodging section of the website. We worked with the customer to optimize the landing pages for each of their lodging properties. The goal was to improve the user experience while also improving search engine visibility and implementing best practices for conversion rate optimization.
Once key landing pages were optimized, we were ready to drive qualified traffic to the website. We utilized Google Ads to gain an immediate top-of-page presence for target keywords while working to increase their organic search rankings for important keywords. We also utilized display retargeting ads to re-engage visitors that didn’t book on their initial visit, which helped to capture additional bookings.
The Results
Over a two-year period, Bird-in-Hand Corporation experienced significant improvement in their search rankings, contributing to a 30% improvement in traffic. As a result, their online bookings for lodging increased by 36%, leading to a 43% increase in online booking revenue. They have also seen increases in phone calls and campground inquiries, which have boosted their offline booking revenue. These changes have increased their market share and solidified their position in the market, which proved especially crucial during the economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Word from the Client
“From other companies I’ve worked with, I’d say it’s the honesty and integrity of your firm that sets Improve & Grow apart. I know that our dollars are well invested and will grow our business – that you have our best interests in mind. I have appreciated the honesty during COVID especially on where to put our limited dollars. It’s clear you understood what we were going through and would only recommend tactics that could bring a return. We have a great deal of respect for everyone we have worked with, and we feel they are experts in their field. I also appreciate your focus on tourism and what you’ve done for the industry, especially during COVID, in providing guidance and strategies. Your team always answers our questions and is quick to respond. Even if the work can’t be done immediately, you give a guideline of timing that is helpful for us – your team has always been quick to fix urgent issues, such as our online store during the busy holiday season.”
Terry Buda Moser, Director of Marketing at Bird-in-Hand
Want To See Your Bookings Grow?
It is definitely possible to replicate the success of Bird-in-Hand Corporation for your business. The best and most guaranteed way is to get hospitality marketing services from experts like Improve & Grow. To learn more about how you can succeed in your digital marketing campaigns and ultimately increase your revenue, contact us today!
